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After a very scary Excel accident at Queensland Raceway on April 22, Stevie Chant returned to competition at the Leyburn Sprints in a Ford Escort while Kyler Clements has had the support of Speedcafe as he burnt the midnight oil building up a new Excel and will soon be racing again.
Chant suffered non-surgical pelvic injuries after her car rolled eight times and burst into flames after it hit Clements, who suffered bruising and was winded. His car also caught fire from the grass being ignited underneath.
While Chant was assisted out the car as it was engulfed in flames through the efforts of Steve Kirby, Brett Parrish, Gordon Smith, David Halstead and Maverick Kemenyvary, Brad Smith stopped to assist Clements and put his fire out.
However, the Excel was destroyed with little to nothing salvageable. Chant now is looking into what her team will be racing for the rest of the year, but has some exciting, yet-to-be-unveiled plans for next year.
Meanwhile, several components were retrieved from the Clements wreck to put into a new car.
Together with his father Jason – an Improved Production racer in his BMW who competed against one of Speedcafe’s owners at club level – they acquired two cars from Craig Smith at Smith’s Speed Works in Wagga.
From there, Kyler did much of the work on building up one into a race car, mostly out of his usual work hours.
The accident car was hit on the bonnet and windscreen area as well as secondary contact in a rear quarter. Miraculously, the rear hatch came through unscathed and had been fitted to the first of two race cars, the second of which will be for younger brother Ashton, when the 14-year-old obtains this circuit race licence.
Also retrieved from the wreck were suspension components, shocks, rear control arms, radio harness, electrical wiring and the wheels. The engine and gearbox were damaged beyond repair.
The car has been unveiled in readiness for testing at Morgan Park this week and proudly boasts support from Speedcafe and Chef’s Kitchen. The team is expected to race at the circuit in an upcoming Series X3 Club Queensland round.
Kyler expressed his thanks to Troy Perrins from TPS Motorsport for locating the car and the support throughout the build, Spud Race Engines for the sourcing and supplying of many parts, and his parents Michelle and Jason for their belief, encouragement and support.
